Perhaps he enjoys winning PK battles! Perhaps he is trying to learn the game so that he can learn how to win! He seems like a very normal player to me.

My experience talking to people who have made a name for themselves as top-tier PKers is that they don't do anything remotely resembling Hastur's ill-guided masochism rituals. Not coincidentally, they can and have beaten him like a rented kobold.

I don't think he's a normal player. Actually, I found that whole post obsessive and rather painful to read.

Analogy: If you see a top-tier basketball player interviewed, they never say things like "I spent 1400 hours compiling a pie chart, and I know my 42.3% jump shot becomes a 39.5% jump shot against his defense, but I should also be able to get 12.7% more layups." Instead they say, "I watched him on tape a few times. He plays good perimeter defense, but I think I can put the ball on the floor and blow by him if I have to."

valguarnera@carrionfields.com